Interestingly, it seems that 8 popular beers produced in the US have had their number of sales drop rather starkly since 2006. Some of the reason is tied to people purchasing lower-calorie options (I am not quite sure I buy that as being a major reason), imports or micro-brews:

I dunno. Definitely american beer isn't exactly a trading good most countries are interested in. With due respect, I don't think Americans ever understood this beverage. But Budweiser drop in sales in its home country doesn't come a a shock to me. InBev has been destroying brands a little all over the world. It's a dismaying how this company operates.

When they bought my favorite beer (Boddingtons) it didn't take long to change the recipe and slowly erode the brand by both mass selling it and moving the historic factory (another thing these people just don't understand is that a beer history and location is as important as its taste).

Seeing Budweiser drop in sales in USA seems to be also another display of InBev irresponsible management at work. Although on this case... for a good cause

Definitely american beer isn't exactly a trading good most countries are interested in. With due respect, I don't think Americans ever understood this beverage.

Though there are some exceptions, I'm inclined to agree - at least where mass-produced beer is concerned. There are still a lot of beers in the US that are good, but most come from the lower-tier of the mainstream or micro-brews (Samuel Adams is one exception of what I consider to be a great American beer).

Understanding is one thing though, but what people are used to is another. What I've found is that most people I know who drink mainstream beers, like Budweiser, never care to experiment with other beers. They grew up drinking whatever it is they did, and for some reason never had an interest in exploring other choices. Most people in my own family fall into this category. Most are Budweiser or Alpine (local) drinkers, and rarely ever give other beers a try. When they do, it's just another lackluster mainstream brand.

I am willing to bet that most people just don't care what their beer tastes like. They want what's affordable and familiar - hence the reason beers like Budweiser succeed so well (constant promotion might not hurt). I admit, the reason I first started trying out other beers was because of films... I just wondered what else was out there. I first tried Heineken and loved it, then moved onto other imports. After a while, I could never go back to regular beer, and to be honest, I'm at a point where certain mainstream beers, I just cannot drink due to their lack of flavor, or for their poor flavor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glider

OT: From the few American beers I actually tasted, I can say that I prefer the diswashing water the glasses are cleaned in anytime over the actual "beer"

As a little bit of a beer snob, I can't help but giggle when I see Budweiser's sales drop a good 30% in the span of five years. Hopefully it's because people are developing taste buds.

I don't even drink but I'd have to agree. From what I've seen and heard, micro-breweries are taking off. Both as independents, local brands, and even as just an in-house brand for restaurants. Any classy restaurant that wants a reputation with its clientele has already gone the same route and brews their own brand in-house. From what I've heard from them it works too, the several places I've talked with said they've had great success drawing in more customers and expanding their clientele after their in-house micro-brewery started.

I'd also have to wonder how much of this is simply due to the sheer number of imports now available... Walk into a Walmart of all places, and you will find names from almost every major country in Europe on the shelves. There are more imports than domestics. Perhaps Anheuser-Busch sold out to InBev at just the right time after all?